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The quintessential "Survival Guide" for critical thinkers living on planet Earth in the 21st Century!

How to locate water on a deserted island

Water is one of the greatest commodities on our planet, especially as humans are comprised of approximately 75% water. Conscious of the advancement of Global Warming and as more of our precious land succumbs to arid dessert, a clean fresh water supply is going to be one of our greatest challenges in the next few decades.

Due to the importance of water in the future, we at Hypo Global are going to write a number of separate articles on the topic. For now our focus is on the survival aspect of how to find water on a desert Island, in line with the “Survival - 21st Century” series of articles.

First and foremost you must focus the vast majority of your attention on collecting rainwater wherever it maybe available, in whatever container like object that is handy. Rain water is your only chance on a deserted island, so you can forget about bottled water or tapped water. Think about where rainwater could potentially be trapped according to where you are. Here are some tips…

Collect dew
Tie rags, cloth or tufts of fine grass to the bottom of your trouser legs and walk in grass or foliage at sunrise. The dew will gather on the material, which can then be wrung out into a make-shift container.Catch fish
The area around a fish's eyes contain a drinkable liquid (actually rich in vitamins), as do fish spines (except shark spines). Suck the eyes, and break the vertebra of the spine apart and suck the liquid from them. Fish flesh also contains drinkable water, however as fish are high in protein, and protein digestion requires additional water, you are better advised to squeeze raw fish over clothing or a tarp to extract water.

Look for bird droppings
In hot, arid climates, bird droppings around a crack in a rock may indicate water. Here you can stuff a cloth or piece of material into the crack, then wring it out.

Locate banana and plantain trees
Such trees are an excellent water source. Cut down the tree, leaving a stump about one foot high. Scoop out the center of the stump, so the hollow is bowl shaped. The roots will continually refill the stump with water for about four days. Note that the initial 3 fillings will be somewhat bitter (brace yourself), although subsequent fillings will be less so. Cover the stump to keep out insects.